Lavender plant named ‘Cocdap’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Lavender plant named ‘Cocdap’, characterized by its compact, upright, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit; freely branching habit, dense and bushy plant form; early flowering habit; and violet-colored flowers with pink-colored terminal flower bracts.

Botanical designation: Lavandula stoechas.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Cocdap’.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is co-pending with the following relatedapplication: U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 11/113,400, LavenderPlant Named ‘Coccap’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lavenderplant, botanically known as Lavandula stoechas, and hereinafter referredto by the name ‘Cocdap’.

The new Lavender is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Kulnura, New South Wales, Australia. The objective ofthe breeding program was to create new compact, mounded and freelybranching Lavender cultivars with attractive flowers and good gardenperformance.

The new Lavender originated from an open-pollination in 1999 of aproprietary selection of Lavandula stoechas identified as code number00-37, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknownselection of Lavandula stoechas, as the male, or pollen, parent. The newLavender was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a singleflowering plant within the progeny of the stated open-pollination grownin a controlled environment in Kulnura, New South Wales, Australia inSeptember, 2000.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings atKulnura, New South Wales, Australia, since 2000, has shown that theunique features of this new Lavender are stable and reproduced true totype in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar ‘Cocdap’ have not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature and light intensitywithout, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Cocdap’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Cocdap’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Compact, upright, outwardly spreading and mounded plant        habit.    -   2. Freely branching habit, dense and bushy plant form.    -   3. Early flowering habit.    -   4. Violet-colored flowers with pink-colored terminal flower        bracts.

Plants of the new Lavender differ from plants of the female parentselection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Lavender are more uniform in plant habit        than plants of the female parent selection.    -   2. Plants of the new Lavender and the female parent selection        differ in flower coloration.    -   3. Plants of the new Lavender and the female parent selection        differ in flower bract coloration.

Plants of the new Lavender differ primarily from plants of the cultivar‘Coccap’, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No.11/113,400, in flower and terminal flower bract coloration.

Plants of the new Lavender can be compared to plants of the Lavendercultivar Kew Red, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted inKulnura, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Lavender differedfrom plants of the cultivar Kew Red primarily in flower and terminalbract coloration, inflorescence size, terminal flower bract size andpeduncle length.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the actualcolors of the new Lavender.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Cocdap’, grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical inflorescences of ‘Cocdap’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1999 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. Plants used for theaforementioned photographs and following description were grown underconditions which closely approximate commercial production conditionsduring the spring in a glass-covered greenhouse in Kulnura, New SouthWales, Australia for about four to six months in 15-cm containers.

-   Botanical classification: Lavandula stoechas cultivar ‘Cocdap’.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Lavandula            stoechas identified as code number 00-37, not patented.        -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unknown selection of Lavandula            stoechas, not patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.        -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About one week at 25° C.        -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About two weeks at 20° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About six            weeks at 25° C.        -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About seven            weeks at 20° C.        -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous.        -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching.-   Plant description:    -   -   Form.—Perennial plant; compact, upright, outwardly spreading            and mounded plant form. Freely branching habit with lateral            branches potentially at every node; dense and bushy plant            habit; vigorous growth habit. Flowers in verticillasters on            crowded spikes with showy terminal flower bracts.        -   Plant height.—About 70 cm.        -   Plant width.—About 70 cm.        -   Lateral branch description.—Length: About 15 cm to 20 cm.            Diameter: About 2 mm. Internode length: About 1.5 cm to            2 cm. Strength: Strong. Aspect: Mostly upright to outwardly            spreading. Texture, immature: Pubescent. Texture, mature:            Woody. Color, immature: 144C. Color, mature: 141C.        -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Opposite, simple; sessile.            Length: About 2 cm to 2.5 cm. Width: About 3 mm to 4 mm.            Shape: Linear. Apex: Mucronate. Base: Attenuate, clasping.            Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:            Pubsecent. Fragrance: Very aromatic, pungent. Venation            pattern: Pinnate; reticulate. Color: Developing and fully            expanded foliage, upper surface: 137A. Developing and fully            expanded foliage, lower surface: 137C. Venation, upper and            lower surfaces: 137A.-   Flower description:    -   -   Flower arrangement and shape.—Small single flowers in            compact verticillasters on crowded spikes. Freely flowering,            about four to six whorls each with about eight to twelve            open flowers and flower buds per spike; flowers tubular with            five lobes; inflorescences with showy terminal bracts.        -   Natural flowering season.—Continuous throughout the Spring.        -   Time to flowering.—Early flowering, plants begin to flower            about three months after planting.        -   Flower longevity on the plant.—Individual inflorescences            last about two weeks on the plant and individual flowers            last about three days on the plant. Flowers, not persistent;            terminal flower bracts, persistent.        -   Flower buds.—Length: About 4 mm. Diameter: About 1 mm to            2 mm. Shape: Linear to ovoid. Color: 87B.        -   Inflorescence size.—Height: About 4 cm to 5 cm. Diameter:            About 1.5 cm.        -   Flowers.—Diameter: About 4 mm. Depth (height): About 5 mm.        -   Petals.—Arrangement: Five, fused into a tube. Length, lobes:            About 1 mm. Width, lobes: About 1 mm. Tube length: About            2 mm. Shape: Roughly spatulate. Apex: Rounded. Margin:            Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous;            velvety. Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: 87B.            Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: 87B.        -   Terminal flower bracts.—Arrangement: About four in a single            whorl at inflorescence apex. Length: About 4 cm to 5 cm.            Width: About 1.1 cm to 1.5 cm. Shape: Ligulate. Apex:            Mucronate. Base: Obtuse. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and            lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; velvety. Color, immature,            upper and lower surfaces: 80C. Color, mature, upper and            lower surfaces: 80C; venation, 81B.        -   Flower bracts.—Arrangement: Each whorl of flowers subtended            by a flower bract. Length: About 6 mm. Width: About 8 mm.            Shape: Broadly ovate. Apex: Mucronate. Base: Obtuse. Margin:            Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth. Color,            upper and lower surfaces: 147C; venation, 147C.        -   Calyx.—Arrangement: Five sepals fused into a tube. Length:            About 3 mm. Width: About 5 mm. Sepal apex: Acute. Color,            immature and mature, upper and lower surfaces: Close to            138B.        -   Peduncle.—Strength: Strong. Length: About 6 cm to 7 cm.            Diameter: About 2 mm. Aspect: Mostly upright. Color: 134A.        -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: Four.            Anther shape: Oval. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther            color: Yellow. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: Yellow.            Pistils: Quantity per flower: One. Pistil length: About            5 mm. Stigma shape: Rounded. Stigma color: White. Style            length: About 4 mm. Style color: White. Ovary color: Close            to 144B.        -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed.-   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Lavender have not been    noted to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Lavender.-   Weather tolerance: Plants of the new Lavender have exhibited good    tolerance to rain and wind and have been observed to tolerate    temperatures from −2° C. to 40° C.

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Lavender plant named ‘Cocdap’, asillustrated and described.